


(Can I Ever Really) Escape

by mcschnuggles



Series: Escape [1]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Caregiver!Joey, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Non-Sexual Age Play, Regressing!Seto
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-05
Updated: 2019-01-05
Packaged: 2019-10-05 01:44:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17315720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcschnuggles/pseuds/mcschnuggles
Summary: Having just come out of the virtual world, Kaiba is officially exhausted of having to pretend his path doesn't bother him.





	(Can I Ever Really) Escape

Kaiba rushes down the halls, ignoring any and all people that try to catch him.

He can hear their excuses tossed at his back. “Sir, you just got back.” “We need to take you in for medical examination.”

Eventually, his walk is brisk enough to get them to stop trailing after him, and he’s left with no sound but the click of his shoes across the linoleum floor. The silence is worse than the noise. The noise gives him something to focus on, to be angry at. Now that it’s gone, the only thing he can feel is absolutely exhausted.

Having to live through his adoptive father was bad enough the first time. It had always been a fear in the back of his mind, one he couldn’t get rid of no matter how stupid he told himself it was. It manifested in small ways, flinching at the sound of someone coming into his office unannounced, not being able to handle the slightest touch. But now…Kaiba can’t even imagine how much worse the nightmares will become, now that it’s become a reality. After all, what’s to stop it from happening all over again?

Kaiba all but runs into his room, not even bothering to lock the door before collapsing on the bed. From there, he clumsily removes his jacket and shoes, mainly because he’s too tired to even attempt sitting up. All this time, and that asshole still had so much control over him. He’d never be satisfied, would he? He’d already taken Kaiba’s childhood, his happiness, his peace of mind. Even in his death, Gozaboru took and took until there was nothing left to take. Kaiba scrubs at his face, trying to tell himself that his eyes are most certainly not welling with tears.

“Kaiba?”

Jesus Christ. He’d forgotten to lock the door. And for Wheeler, of all people to come in unannounced… This day couldn’t get much worse, could it?

Wheeler takes a few steps forward but lingers in the doorway. “Hey, um, I wanted to check on you since ya kinda bailed out on everyone. You seemed…” Joey trails off, searching for the right word. “Upset?” He still doesn’t sound confident, probably because the last thing Seto Kaiba would ever be is “upset.”

The words are right there. The perfect insult, the perfect comeback to hurl right in Wheeler’s face. But in that moment, all words escape him. He says nothing. He sits there, half-hanging of his bed, staring at the carpet and tracing patterns with his fingers, but not saying a word.

“Kaiba?” Wheeler is obviously concerned now. He looks back to the door, but as if some invisible obligation is holding him back, he steps forward and lets it slide shut behind him. “You okay? I know it had to be tough, seeing your dad and all…” He shoves his hands into his pockets. “Not for nothing, but I’ve had my fair share of experience with trash fathers, you know? I know what it feels like to not get to be a kid.”

The words strike low in Kaiba’s abdomen. Not getting to be a kid. God, was that ever true. Even before the adoption, it was just him and Mokuba. He always had to be the responsible one, the protective one. He had to put on a tough act and pretend like he could handle it.

The aching exhaustion comes back to his chest, and he realizes just how tired he truly is. He’s been putting up this front for years, and he just can’t do it anymore. Tears come to his eyes.

“Uhh.” Wheeler takes a small step back. It’s clear that he has no idea how to react at this point. “I can leave if you want me to. I can just go and…”

“Stay.” The word comes out as a quiet croak, and he sounds so much smaller than he should, but it still works to ground Joey in place.

“….Yeah. Sure thing.” Joey comes a little closer, edging near Kaiba’s bed before finally sitting down on the floor. He’s still well out of arms reach. “So do you want to talk? You want me to talk, because I can do enough talking for both of us.” He chuckles nervously.

Kaiba shrugs. He stares at the carpet, watching the tears create little wet spots he can trace around. He doesn’t understand why, but such a simple, repetitive motion helps put him at ease.

Joey shifts. “So what do you call a can opener that doesn’t work?” He pauses. “A can’t opener.”

Kaiba glances up. He couldn’t be serious with that bad of a joke, could he?

Joey grins, though it’s notably strained. “Made you look.”

And that’s when he breaks. He’s not sure why it breaks him, or how, but it does, so Kaiba is left with no option but to hang his head and sob right in front of one of the biggest dweebs on the planet.

“Hey.” Joey scoots beside him, putting minimal space between them. “I know my jokes are bad but yeesh.”

Kaiba thinks he must be hallucinating when Joey wraps his arms around Kaiba’s shoulders and guides his head to his chest.

“Must be tired, huh?”

God, yes. He’s tired. He’s so, so tired. Finally someone acknowledges it. He cries a little harder and throws his arms around Joey’s neck, clinging for dear life.

“I know it’s tough. Having to be the big brother, the parent. No one ever sees what an asshole like that takes away from you.” Joey begins rubbing his back, and Kaiba melts into the touch. “I’m sorry you had to deal with seeing him again.”

Each word only breaks him down further. Finally, someone understands, and he didn’t even have to say a word about it. It’s like a thousand pounds of weight he didn’t even know existed is being lifted from his chest, and all he can do is continue to cry.

“I know.” Joey murmurs. “I know.”

“Stay.” Kaiba requests again. His voice has deteriorated from croaky and weak to shaky and childlike. He’ll probably hate himself in the morning for sounding so weak, but right now all he’s concerned about is the first hug he’s gotten in over a decade.

“Of course.”

Kaiba cries himself out within an hour and falls asleep not fifteen minutes later. He gets his usual four hours of sleep before a nightmare startles him awake. His body jerks and his breath starts to come unnaturally fast, but before his 3 am panic attack can even get off the ground, a hand is combing through his hair and grounding him in reality.

“You’re okay, lil guy.” Joey murmurs, obviously still half asleep.

“Little guy.” And he’s still here? He even went so far as to climb into bed. Kaiba’s not sure whether to be relieved or enraged. Kaiba winces at his pounding headache. He feels so small like this, head on Joey’s shoulder, wrapped up in warm blankets. Small and…safe. He can’t say he hates it. He’ll let it all slide. Just for today.

Kaiba nestles further into Joey’s arms and lets sleep pull him back under.

**Author's Note:**

> mcschnuggles.tumblr.com


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